The Information Economy Council Digital Skills Strategy

Transcription

1 Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership The Information Economy Council Digital Skills Strategy July 2014 Digital Skills Strategy 1

2 In June 2013, the Information Economy Strategy set out a plan for Government and industry acting together to promote the success of the UK information economy. Working to a vision of a thriving UK information economy enhancing national competitiveness, this highlighted the critical dependency of a highly skilled digital workforce. The Information Economy Council, made up of representatives from Government, business and academia, set the agenda for implementation and future work against the Information Economy Strategy. This Information Economy Digital Skills Strategy sets out the priorities for action on skills and provides an update on progress on year on. Note: unless otherwise noted, all research statistics sourced from e-skills UK Women in IT Scorecard, June 2014 and Technology Insights Digital Skills Strategy 2

3 Table of Contents Summary Background The need for change The importance of a coherent strategy for skills Skills actions to be pursued Introducing the Digital Skills Strategy Strategic objectives Strategic priorities Strategy implementation New talent Careers Schools Further and Higher Education New recruits Apprenticeships Graduates Pathways New markets Strategic Skills Tech Skills Hubs Focus on cyber security Business and individuals in the Information Economy Assessing progress ANNEXES Membership of the Information Economy Council Skills Working Group Membership of the Tech Partnership Board Digital Skills Strategy 3

4 Summary This Digital Skills Strategy has been developed by the Information Economy Council (IEC) Skills Working Group, working with the employers across the sector. Taking forward the skills actions in the Information Economy Strategy, this Digital Skills Strategy is focused on accelerating the growth of the digital economy by inspiring young people about technology, enabling talented people from all backgrounds to get into technology careers, and helping companies develop the technology skills they need for the future as summarised below: THE INFORMATION ECONOMY DIGITAL SKILLS STRATEGY NEW TALENT NEW RECRUITS NEW MARKETS The current reality The sector does not have an effective skills pipeline Business growth is inhibited by a war for talent New skills are needed to seize massively growing new markets Evidence - Lack of student interest in IT-related education & careers - Rapidly ageing IT workforce - Pervasive gender imbalance - Highest rate of job vacancies of all sectors - Hard to fill vacancies are significantly affecting business growth - Growth opportunities evident in transformational technologies - Wage premium for specialists due to shortage Barriers Efforts to address the skills pipeline issues lack cohesion and scale Insufficient entry routes: apprenticeships are underutilised; computing has highest unemployment rate of all degrees Lack of / availability and high cost of relevant training STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES Create a world class pipeline of NEW TALENT Expand the talent pool by accelerating the intake of NEW RECRUITS Develop the skills to succeed in NEW MARKETS Particular focus Diversity and gender High quality careers for young people Cyber security, big data, Internet of Things, mobile, e-commerce, cloud STRATEGIC PRIORITIES - Inspiring young people, particularly girls, about careers in technology - Transform school curriculum, teaching, and understanding of technology careers - Create industry backed degrees and conversion courses - Create more tech sector apprenticeships - Ensure more graduates are able to secure tech sector jobs - Promote pathways into the sector and pilot new schemes including the use of MOOCs - Increase investment in skills of strategic importance to the economy - Establish Tech Sills Hubs to help businesses collaborate for growth Employers will lead the implementation of this strategy, as the Tech Partnership, which is now recognised as the Industrial Partnership for the Digital Economy and the skills arm of the IEC. The Partnership embraces all employers who care about digital skills, and works with government, educators and stakeholders right across the economy to maximise impact on economic growth and jobs. Digital Skills Strategy 4

5 1. Background 1.1 The need for change The Information Economy Strategy of June 2013 highlighted the fact that a lack of sufficiently skilled people is one of the biggest barriers to UK leadership in the global information economy. To reap the economic and social benefits of the digital economy, the UK needs a strong flow of future talent, a skilled workforce and a digitally literate population. The strategy set out the need for people who can use applications and apply technology as well as people who can invent and develop the technology and applications of the future. It set the aspiration for the UK to be a global leader, excelling in cutting edge technologies like Big Data, Cloud Computing and Cyber Security. The strategy also raised the importance of small businesses having the skills to transact online and tackling digital exclusion in the population at large. The strategy pointed out that there is a paradox. Around 129,000 new recruits are needed each year into ICT careers, and the IT industry is forecast to grow at almost twice the UK average through to Yet employers report difficulties in finding applicants with the skills sets they require, despite the appetite young people have for digital devices and communications. 1.2 The importance of a coherent strategy for skills The Information Economy Strategy explained that the Employer Ownership of Skills initiative would fund long-term Industrial Partnerships to enable businesses to take end to end responsibility for skills development, providing a launch pad for a new strategic approach to meeting skills challenges. It pointed out that there are already many initiatives to address digital skills issues, but these need to be better coordinated, and that government, academia, business and local players must agree a game-changing digital skills strategy as a priority. 1.3 Skills actions to be pursued The Information Economy Strategy said that the following should be considered for inclusion within a digital skills strategy: Exciting young people, and particularly girls, to pursue a career in ICT; Increasing how business shapes the design and delivery of digital learning; Realising the great benefits offered by Massive Open Online Courses to support ICT learning, work force re-skilling and increased digital literacy; Increasing the number of ICT apprenticeships in the information economy sector and wider supply businesses; Identify new pathways into the sector and wider ICT jobs for the unemployed (particularly NEETs) and those re-entering the labour market. It also said that government would bring together representatives from business and the Higher Education sector and encourage them to agree action to improve employment outcomes for computer science courses. Digital Skills Strategy 5

6 2. Introducing the Digital Skills Strategy 2.1 Strategic objectives Over the last year, the Skills Working Group of the Information Economy Council has started to take forward action on skills from the Information Economy Strategy, and worked with the employers across the sector to establish a coherent Digital Skills Strategy. The Digital Skills Strategy is focused on accelerating the growth of the digital economy by inspiring young people about technology, enabling talented people from all backgrounds to get into technology careers, and helping companies develop the technology skills they need for the future. The strategy addresses three strategic objectives: 1. Develop a world class pipeline of new talent for technology careers with a particular focus on attracting more girls and women. 2. Accelerate the intake of new recruits into the technology workforce with a particular focus on apprentices and graduates 3. Develop strategically important new skills with a particular focus on cyber security, big data and the Internet of Things. It also promotes work to help all businesses and individuals fully participate in the information economy. 2.2 Strategic priorities In pursuit of these three strategic objectives, the strategy is focused on bringing cohesion and real impact in the following areas: 1. New talent - Inspiring young people, particularly girls, about careers in technology - Influencing school curriculum and providing support to teachers - Creating industry-backed degree programmes and conversion courses Work in this area takes forward the Information Economy Strategy focus on: Exciting young people, and particularly girls, to pursue a career in ICT; Increasing how business shapes the design and delivery of digital learning. Digital Skills Strategy 6

7 2. New recruits - Increasing the intake of apprentices by: o Setting standards for apprenticeships that meet industry needs o Promoting high quality training that delivers them o Giving employers control of government funding for training - Increasing the intake of new graduates by: o Increasing employability skills within computer science degrees o Running a post-graduate training programme that prepares new graduates for technology careers - Promoting the range of pathways into the sector, and piloting new schemes, including new online learning programmes (MOOCs) to bring a wider pool of people into contact with employers. Work in this area takes forward the Information Economy Strategy focus on: Realising the great benefits offered by Massive Open Online Courses to support ICT learning, workforce re-skilling and increased digital literacy; Increasing the number of ICT apprenticeships in the information economy sector and wider supply businesses; Identifying new pathways into the sector and wider ICT jobs for the unemployed (particularly NEETs) and those re-entering the labour market. 3. New skills - Establishing Tech Skills Hubs that help businesses to collaborate for growth, based on common geography or skills theme - Encouraging greater investment in skills by supporting employers with a Tech Skills Training Fund focused on skills of strategic importance to the economy. 2.3 Strategy implementation Employers will lead the implementation of this strategy, as the Tech Partnership, which is now recognised as the Industrial Partnership for the Digital Economy and the skills arm of the IEC. The Partnership takes forward the work of e-skills UK, and works with government, educators and stakeholders right across the economy to maximise impact on economic growth and jobs. It is supported with co-financing through the Employer Ownership of Skills pilot.. The Tech Partnership is a growing network of employers, collaborating to create the skills to accelerate the growth of the digital economy. It will act for the good of all by inspiring young people about technology, accelerating the flow of talented people from all backgrounds into technology careers, and helping companies develop the technology skills they need for the future. It will set standards for skills and development, and bring coherence by embracing all able to contribute to its strategic objectives. Digital Skills Strategy 7

8 3. New talent Strategic objective Develop a world class pipeline of new talent for technology careers with a particular focus on attracting more females Strategic - priorities - Inspiring young people, particularly girls, about careers in technology - Influencing school curriculum and providing support to teachers - Creating industry-backed degree programmes and conversion courses 3.1 Careers With critical constraints in the talent pipeline and with only 16% of the technology professional workforce being female, employers view it as essential that young people, particularly girls, have a better insight into and are inspired about careers in technology. Through the Tech Partnership, the Industrial Partnership for the Information Economy, employers will support careers education, information, advice and guidance for young people, taking responsibility for how the sector is explained to young people and their parents. This includes systemic action to encourage females into technology careers. As part of this, the tech sector will launch a national campaign this summer to redefine technology careers in the eyes of young people and their influencers, such as parents and teachers. Supported by high-profile industry figures and tech employers including Capgemini, Cisco, Samsung and Tata Consultancy Services, this will be part of the Government s Your Life campaign. Your Life is bringing together business, educators and government to encourage more girls and women to study and pursue careers in mathematics, physics, technology and engineering. For example: 40 leading employers of technology professionals will collaborate, through e-skills UK, to run an event in summer 2014 to share best practice in attracting women. Their aim is to inspire more than 1,000 girls into technology roles by Capgemini is committing to a target of having 50% women in its apprentice intake by To support this, by the end of 2015, they will establish new partnerships with five secondary schools in the UK, and identify and provide support to an additional 100 female STEM ambassadors. Google is committing to funding 34 ICT and Science teachers from the 2014 Teach First cohort, taking the number of Google-funded Teach First STEM teachers to over 100 since Over 50% are female. The tech sector s contribution to the Your Life campaign will follow on from the Hour of Code, a joint initiative between Code.org, tech employers through e-skills UK, and the Department for Education (DfE). Since March 2014, more than 2.9 million young people in the UK have been introduced to computer coding through the free online resources available at Hour of Code. Digital Skills Strategy 8

9 Case study: Inspiring young people through the Hour of Code Nearly 3 million people around the UK have been introduced to the valuable skill of computer programming through the Hour of Code which took the nation s schools and colleges by storm this year. Hour of Code - which was launched nationwide in March provides an inspiring introduction to programming in just sixty minutes, through fun tutorials featuring well-known characters from games like Angry Birds. Aimed at young people of all ages and backgrounds, Hour of Code was led by not-for-profit organisations Code.org and e-skills UK, and promoted by employers including Microsoft, HP and Google. In May 2014, Hour of Code UK was shortlist for the Europas Greatest Tech Influence on Society award. 3.2 Schools As the Information Economy Strategy points out, there has been widespread criticism of the statutory school ICT curriculum in England. Employers did not think it was sufficiently challenging, it focused too much on using IT applications, and students were not excited by course content. In response, the Government is reforming what is taught in this subject area in schools. A new computer science curriculum is due to become compulsory in September This will be more ambitious and rigorous than the existing ICT programmes of study and will place greater emphasis on teaching the principles of computational thinking and practical programming skills. Government plans are underway to help teachers prepare for forthcoming changes. BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, is providing tax free teaching scholarships, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), to create the next generation of teachers. 100 scholarships will be awarded this year. Computing at School (CAS), which is part of the BCS Academy, has formed a partnership with Microsoft & others to train and support up to 50,000 primary and secondary school teachers across the UK. Complementing this, employers are collaborating to provide an inspiring learning experience for young people that is relevant to a wide range of careers in technology. Working together through e-skills UK, employers are helping with the transition to the new curriculum with industry-backed teaching resources and lesson plans. Interactive project-based resources have been created for GCSE and A Level students in areas including cyber security, app and website design. Case study: Tech employers shape school learning materials New learning materials that introduce GCSE and A Level students to the exciting world of cyber security and computer programming in HTML and CSS have been launched this year by tech employers. The project-based resources have been shaped by employers including Intel and Coderdojo, and are available to teachers through e-skills UK s New topics on Big Data and Javascript programming are in development and will be launched by the end of the year. The learning materials provide students with a real-life introduction to key areas in technology, and help teachers to enhance their lessons with exciting and interactive resources from industry. Digital Skills Strategy 9

10 A wide range of other initiatives are in place to help school students get inspired by and develop skills relevant to technology careers. For example: GoThinkBig is an online digital hub launched by O2 and Bauer Media to bring young people information work experience opportunities, career advice, contact with role models, and tips for getting started on a career. It is supported by people working at brands such as Telefonica UK (O2), Kiss, heat, Kerrang!, FHM, more!, Grazia, Empire and Q. For primary school children, the industry-backed Computer Clubs for Girls (CC4G) from e-skills UK inspires girls aged 8 to 13 about technology. Online content includes lesson plans and resources that bring technology to life in areas including sport, music and fashion. Topics include learning the building blocks of code, through a resource created in partnership with UBS and the students of The Bridge Academy, Hackney. A new CC4G resource that teaches girls how power control rooms optimise the distribution of power and fend off cyber attacks, is being developed in partnership with National Grid and will be launched in September Code Club offers free volunteer-led after-school coding clubs for children aged 9-11, with volunteer programmers working with children all over the country to share their enthusiasm and knowledge. 3.3 Further and Higher Education Earlier this year, the Government announced its intention to open a flagship University Technical College, focused on the skills needed for software engineering. The college will offer quality technical vocational training and a route to higher education qualifications in this field, which is growing in demand here in the UK and across the globe. In a related development, employers including IBM, CA Technologies, BBC, Intel, Tata Consultancy Services, and General Dynamics have designed the course content of a new Software Development for Business degree which will be available at universities including Sheffield, Surrey, Durham, and Oxford Brookes from September The new degree is the first of its kind in software engineering and has been designed by employers to ensure that graduates have the skills and knowledge in demand by business. Software Development for Business is developed on a similar model to the IT Management for Business degree (ITMB). Delivering consistently outstanding academic and employment outcomes, this continues to expand with over 70 employers now supporting 1,200 undergraduates in 18 universities across the UK. Digital Skills Strategy 10

11 4. New recruits Strategic objective Accelerate the intake of new recruits into the technology workforce with a particular focus on apprentices and graduates Strategic priorities 1,. Increasing the intake of apprentices by: o Setting standards for apprenticeships that meet industry needs o Promoting high quality training that delivers them o Giving employers control of government funding for training - 2. Increasing the intake of new graduates by: o Increasing employability skills within computer science degrees o Running a post-graduate training programme that prepares new graduates for technology careers 3. Promoting the range of pathways into the sector, and piloting new schemes, including new online learning programmes (MOOCs) to bring a wider pool of people into contact with employers. 4.1 Apprenticeships As a key part of the drive to increase the ability of young people to get into technology, employers are working with Government to significantly accelerate the uptake of apprenticeships. This is building on success. Since 2011 over 25,000 people have started an IT apprenticeship and in the same period the numbers starting a higher apprenticeship in IT have gone from almost zero to over 1,000. However, there are opportunities both to accelerate uptake and to increase the quality, so that all employers, especially SMEs and non-it businesses, can benefit from the quality that many of the large IT employers already enjoy. In addition, new roles are frequently emerging in this fast changing sector, which need to be reflected with new routes into employment. Through the Richard Review of March 2013, the Government announced its intention to put employers in the driving seat in the design and delivery of apprenticeships, including creating Higher Apprenticeships as an alternative to traditional graduate recruitment. Employers small and large, including Accenture, Cisco, IBM, John Lewis, and Microsoft have led the development of new rigorous, high quality apprenticeships as Trailblazers of the post-richards policy. Employers have defined the skills that the apprenticeships are expected to deliver for roles in cyber security, software development and network engineering., with the first programmes to be available in Supporting this, the Tech Partnership will accredit and promote Tech Industry Gold apprenticeships. Offering high quality training, faster productivity, easier recruitment and reduced overhead, Tech Industry Gold programmes are designed to help employers and increase the availability of apprenticeships for young people. Digital Skills Strategy 11

12 Tech employers have also worked with Government to promote the uptake of apprenticeships through the high profile annual event, National Apprenticeship Week. This year, tech employers marked the occasion by celebrating the achievements of more than 50 outstanding apprentices from large organisations and SMALL BUSINESSs from around the country. Since then, many tech employers have chosen to make apprenticeships the basis of pledges for the Government s Your Life campaign, to improve the participation rates of women in STEM education and careers. Case study: Employers unite to promote tech apprenticeships at National Apprenticeship Week Collective action by employers to promote tech apprenticeships hit a high note at this year s National Apprenticeship Week. Tech employers came together at BT Tower to celebrate the achievements of some of the nation s top technology apprentices. Later in the week, the Government approved the first of several new tech sector apprenticeships designed by employers, under its Trailblazer scheme. Employers have shown commitment to work together to strengthen the apprenticeship system and ensure that programmes are stretching, thoroughly assessed, and relevant to employers of all sizes. The new Tech Industry Gold accreditation system which launched this May is a guarantee of high quality and relevant apprenticeship training. 4.2 Graduates It has been widely reported that too often students leave education lacking essential capabilities skills such as communication, time management and business skills. This is a particular focus for the tech sector, where, despite the need for new recruits into technology professional roles, 14% of computing graduates unemployed six months after graduation, compared with 9% across all subjects. Complementing the actions in partnership with higher education above, the Tech Partnership will accelerate the intake of new graduates into the sector by working with universities to increase employability skills within computer science degrees, and running a post-graduate training programme that prepares new graduates for technology careers. Workshop on computer science graduates employment outcomes In November 2013, a workshop chaired by David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science, brought together representatives from a wide range of universities came together with employers ranging from small to large businesses to encourage collaborative action to improve employment outcomes of computer science graduates. The meeting was also supported by BCS, e-skills UK, IET, Tech City and techuk. The meeting identified a comprehensive set of actions, many of which are being taken forward through this Digital Skills Strategy including the following: Showcase digital careers and career paths, and provide more information to help students identify degree courses that will help them achieve their objectives; Increase business / Higher Education engagement to help courses meet industry demand; Create more opportunities for Computer Science graduates to obtain industrial skills, for example through industry placements. Digital Skills Strategy 12

13 4.3 Pathways To enable the sector to fill its vacancies and take advantage of its growth potential, new pathways into technology roles must be created. These pathways should make the sector more accessible, not only to graduates, but also to school leavers, workers in other sectors, and those not in education, employment or training (NEET). One of the ways that industry is helping to tackle this is through realising the benefits offered by Massive Open Online Courses, (MOOCs). Employers are working together to exploit MOOC principles to help more people develop the skills to secure employment in the sector. Update on MOOCs The Information Economy Strategy explained that industry, Higher Education institutes and skills organisations would work together to create a programme of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) for computing and data science. Companies including Accenture, Cisco, Telefonica UK, Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft are collaborating on an innovative approach to help people, particularly unemployed recent computer science graduates, gain the skills for employment in the fast growing tech sector. An industry-backed MOOC will be designed and piloted, with the course leading to opportunities to interact directly with employers in the sector, including practice interviews and CV support. The project will assess the difference such an approach could make to improving young people s employment prospects. TechCity UK has also led the design and creation of a new MOOC aimed at helping people develop digital entrepreneurial skills, and FutureLearn (a private company owned by the Open University) is piloting courses including an introduction to programming, digital marketing and innovation. New progression pathways from apprenticeships to degree level offer another valuable route that the sector is working on, in partnership with Higher Education. Employers have collaborated through e-skills UK to put in place Higher Apprenticeships, suitable for young people with A-levels and containing degree level content. Over 1,000 people have already embarked on these new apprenticeships. Building on this, employers have designed the first apprenticeships in cyber security, with 100 new jobs to be made available in the summer of 2014 as a result. Update on apprenticeship progression Employers have worked with Higher Education to provide new progression pathways to degrees. For example, a pioneering approach by Ford Motor Company and the University of Greenwich offers school and college leavers a new type of Higher Apprenticeship. For the first time, apprentices can work towards the highly respected, industry-backed IT Management for Business (ITMB) degree through a combination of work experience and academic learning. Apprentices gain practical work experience with world class technologies and processes while completing academic studies. With Ford s support in terms of tuition fees, and a competitive package of salary and benefits, apprentices are able to embark on a great career, with a degree and without student debt. Postgraduate qualifications can also provide another entry route to the sector. There is a need for more specialist courses for students with the aptitude and enthusiasm to work in technology but without a relevant first degree. There has already been progress made in this area. For instance, the University of Exeter will be the first institution to offer an industry-backed IT Management for Business (ITMB) Masters degree to graduates, from autumn Digital Skills Strategy 13

14 5. New skills Strategic objective Develop the skills to succeed in new markets with a particular focus on cyber security, big data and the Internet of Things Strategic priorities - Encouraging greater investment in skills by supporting employers with a Tech Skills Training Fund focused on skills of strategic importance to the economy - Establishing Tech Skills Hubs that help businesses to collaborate for growth, based on common geography or skills theme 5.1 Strategic Skills There is a strategic imperative to invest in the technology skills that drive future innovation and competitiveness across the economy. A new strategic skills fund for sector-approved continuing professional development, managed by the Tech Partnership, the Industrial Partnership for the Information Economy, will help companies invest more in the skills that will make the biggest contribution to growth and new market expansion. This work includes alignment with the UK National Cyber Security Strategy and UK Data Capability Strategy, as well as supporting the Internet of Things, mobile, e-commerce and cloud computing capability. 5.2 Tech Skills Hubs The Tech Partnership, the Industrial Partnership for the Information Economy, will pilot Tech Skills Hubs, designed to accelerate growth by geography, particularly for smaller companies, and by skills theme, for example for cyber security and big data. The intention is that a scalable, replicable model will establish global leadership in strategic technologies, bringing together globally-relevant strategies and scale with locally-relevant partnerships and delivery. In the West Midlands, this will build on existing work by employers and e-skills UK to create a national cyber security capability. In the North East, it will help small companies aggregate skills needs, stimulating new apprentice opportunities and a better supply of applicants. A further model will focus on driving up Big Data skills. Case study: developing a Tech Skills Hub for Cyber Security Earlier this year, a centre of excellence in cyber security based in Malvern s cyber valley was launched. The National Cyber Skills Centre (NCSC), based in Malvern Hills Science Park, has been set-up to deliver high-quality training provision to businesses and organisations to protect them against cyber-attacks. Co-funded by Worcestershire County Council, and supported by employer body e-skills UK, the Centre s extensive range of programmes have been developed to meet regional and national needs in cyber security and supports companies of all sizes. The Centre is already working with specialist companies including Borwell Ltd., BDM, Templar Executives and 3SDL to offer NCSC accredited training. Digital Skills Strategy 14

15 5.3 Focus on cyber security Employers including Qinetiq, IBM and BT, collaborating through e-skills UK, have been working closely with stakeholders including CREST and IISP to bring cohesion and greater impetus to the development of cyber security skills in the UK. As reported by BIS through their March 2014 Business Engagement exercise - prepared for the national Cyber Security Summit led by David Willetts - most cyber security recruitment is focused on experienced professionals, but there are severe shortages of these strategically important specialist skills. It is well recognised that businesses need to provide more opportunities for individuals to gain relevant skills, for example through internships, apprenticeships, and new degree content. Employers have been collaborating to achieve this in three ways: - working with Higher Education to increase cyber security content in relevant degree courses, and ensure that it meets employer needs; - collaborating to encourage more young people and experienced workers into cyber security careers; - developing and promoting clear learning pathways and routes into cyber security. Cyber security in Higher Education Employers are ensuring that cyber security is an integral part of the curriculum for the industry-backed degrees created through e-skills UK. For instance, Information Security Risks is now included in both the IT Management for Business (ITMB) and the new Software Development for Business degree, covering topics such as risks, threats, testing, and secure architecture and development. Also, significant progress has been made to recognise Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACEs-CSE). As a first step, GCHQ, in consultation with cyber security employers and universities, developed the criteria required for certification of high-quality Master s degrees in General Cyber Security. Universities were invited to submit their Master s degrees to be assessed for certification and the call received good responses. Certification results will be made available by mid-august.in the Autumn GCHQ intends to issue a call to universities to apply to be recognised as ACEs-CSE. In early 2015 GCHQ will reissue the call for Master s degree certification and will include more specialist Master s degrees such as Digital Forensics. Encouraging more people into cyber security With only 7% of information security professionals under the age of 29, cyber security employers have made it a priority to collaborate to excite young people about the sector, and to create new entry routes into it. For example, collaborating through e-skills UK, employers have launched Secure Futures, which has, through its online resource and employer-led workshops, already inspired more than 1,800 young people to consider a career in cyber security. They have also developed new teaching and learning materials in cyber security for GCSE and A-level students, covering, for example causes, effects, recovery, and lessons learnt from cyber attacks. A new cyber security game, for Key Stage 4 pupils, brings the cyber security industry to life, through true-to-life scenarios. Complementing this, Cyber Security Challenge has run its first event aimed school children. The inaugural schools grand final was held at Bletchley Park in March, with cyber security activities led by employers. Six teams aged 14 to 17 took part in the day of interactive code-breaking challenges, before an all-girl team from Stockport School were crowned champions. Launched last year, the Schools Programme from Cyber Security Challenge is designed to develop practical skills, in demand from industry. Its teaching resource packs are designed to spark students interest in code-breaking and the building blocks of securing valuable information online. Digital Skills Strategy 15

16 Developing career pathways and routes into cyber security Employers have come together to support the creation of the first ever nationally unified standards and learning pathways in cyber security. National Skills Standards in Information Security have been developed by cyber security specialists from industry. The employer backed e-skills UK IT Professional Standards (ITPS), the Institute of Information Security Professionals (IISP) skills framework, and CESG's supplements have all been aligned. Together they will support the CESG Certified Professional (CCP) scheme. This development has streamlined and simplified the previous mix of multiple standards, and provides a solid foundation on which a full range of development pathways and a recognised cyber security profession can be developed. Learning pathways have already been developed for priority roles including IA Architect, IA Auditor, Accreditor, and Security & Information Risk Advisor.. Building on this, from this autumn, the Tech Partnership, the Industrial Partnership for the Information Economy, will begin endorsing cyber security continual professional development (CPD) courses which are aligned to these national industry standards and are quality assured by industry. This Tech Industry Gold accreditation will ensure that wider businesses and individuals can invest with confidence in the training they need. Employers are also keen to help more young people embark on a cyber security careers, and have been working together, through e-skills UK, to make high quality apprenticeships available for the first time. Employers have worked together to define the competencies and knowledge that apprentices should gain by the end of the programmes, and e-skills UK issued the new frameworks that govern the apprenticeships and ensure these standards are met. More than one hundred of these new apprenticeships are expected to be made available this summer through companies large and small. Case study: Higher Apprenticeships in Cyber Security launched Cyber security employers including Atos, BT, CGI, IBM, NCA and QinetiQ have joined forces through e-skills UK to define requirements for new specialist cyber security apprenticeships. These employers have defined the competence and knowledge that apprentices should gain by the end of the programme, and e-skills UK has issued the new framework that governs the apprenticeships. Overall, more than one hundred of these new apprenticeships are expected to be made available by the end of this summer. The apprenticeships will be offered by organisations including BT, Capgemini, CGI, and Atos, as well as small businesses specialising in cyber security. They are designed to make it possible for talented school-leavers to enter the sector directly, learning skills in the workplace while gaining formal qualifications and earning a salary. These industry-led developments provide a step change in developing the UK s cyber security skills, with the objective of helping to drive growth in cyber security businesses and protect all organisations from increasingly serious cyber security threat. Digital Skills Strategy 16

17 6. Business and individuals in the Information Economy As explained in section 2, this Digital Skills Strategy also sets out to promote work to help all businesses and individuals fully participate in the information economy. Businesses The Information Economy Strategy explained that industry, in partnership with Government, would launch a programme in the autumn of 2013 to get more small businesses transacting online. The programme would target both small businesses who were already online in a basic way but are looking to transact online, and those who were already transacting online but looking to scale up. The intention of the programme is to equip 1.6 million businesses over a five year period with the tools and skills they need to effectively trade online and to grow their businesses. The Digital Capability Programme is focused on the fact that, although 92% of small firms are online only 33% sell their goods and services online. After an initial pilot in the North East of England BIS is working with Go ON UK (a charity, led by Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, responsible for helping people and businesses get online) to develop a programme to help small businesses acquire the digital skills to transact online successfully. Complementing this, Tech City UK is developing a digital business skills MOOC. This is designed to help people wanting to turn an idea into a business (either through their own digital business or joining an existing one). The target range of people cover both young people starting a business and older entrepreneurs wanting to get online and digitise their business. It is intended the MOOC will be launched in the Autumn. Tech City UK is also playing a lead coordinating role in the UK Tech and Business Cluster Alliance, which aims to share knowledge, expertise and best practice between each cluster and provide intelligence and recommendations to Government through the Information Economy Council. There are currently 13 tech clusters in the Alliance. Individuals The Information Economy Strategy also explained that while the UK has a mature digital market, it still has some way to go to ensure that all individuals can take advantage of it. ONS data showed that 7.1 million people have never been online, and 5.7 million households are without an internet connection. Those who are digitally excluded in this way may miss out on benefits such as applying for jobs or making purchases online, and may also be restricted in terms of the workplace or socially. Go ON UK is encouraging as many people as possible to go online and improve public services by driving online delivery. The Government also supports the UK Online Centre network comprised of 3,800 community partners who support people to get online and become confident users of computers and the internet. To better co-ordinate efforts on digital inclusion, the Government explained its intent to set up a new team based in the Government Digital Service. The team will work alongside Martha Lane Fox and Go ON UK, and will support the embedding of digital skills in relevant policy areas. Further information is available in the Government s Digital Inclusion Strategy Digital Skills Strategy 17

18 7. Assessing progress Key measures through which progress on this strategy can be assessed include the following: - The propensity of young people, particularly females, to pursue technology-related education and careers. - The uptake of routes into the sector by young people, including through apprenticeships and graduate entry. - Employability of graduates from technology-related degrees. - The gender balance of new entrants to the workforce. - The extent to which training providers are offering employer-endorsed training, including in strategically important skills. The Tech Partnership will track and report progress on these matters, along with Go ON UK s assessment of progress in terms of small business digital maturity, and individuals basic IT skills to participate in the online economy. This assessment and reporting on progress will guide future activity as employers, government, educators and other stakeholders work together to ensure the UK has the skills to maximise growth in the digital economy. Digital Skills Strategy 18

19 ANNEXES Membership of the Information Economy Council Skills Working Group Phil Smith Cisco Andy Green (Co-chair) DockOn Naomi Gummer Google Martin Sadler HP Michel Van der Bol (Co-chair) Microsoft Nicola Dykes Samsung Simon Miller Telefonica UK Shankar Narayanan Tata Consultancy Services Emma McGuigan Accenture Sherry Coutu Paul Hadley BIS Karen Price e-skills UK Simon Nelson FutureLearn Tristan Wilkinson Go On UK Charlotte Holloway techuk Membership of the Tech Partnership Board Oliver Benzecry, Managing Director, UK & Ireland Accenture Andy Green, Director ARM Clive Selley, CEO BT Technology, Service & Ops BT Christine Hodgson, Chairman Capgemini Phil Smith, Chief Executive, UK & Ireland (Chair) Cisco Michael Keegan, CEO UK & Ireland Fujitsu Craig Wilson, MD and VP, UK & Ireland HP Enterprise Services David Stokes, Chief Executive UK, Ireland IBM Michel Van der Bel, MD, UK and VP, MS International Microsoft Ronan Dunne, CEO 02 David Callaghan, Senior Vice President Oracle Gayna Hart, MD Quicksilva Shankar Narayanan, Country Head, UK & Ireland Tata Consultancy Services Tiffany Hall, Technology Controller BBC Angela Morrison, CIO Direct Line Group Mark Dearnley HMRC Jeremy Vincent, CIO Jaguar Land Rover Alan Peacock, Director, Service Delivery Lloyds David Norton, CIO Lowe and Partners Richard Thwaite, Director of Information Metropolitan Police David Lister, CIO National Grid Susan Cooklin Network Rail Catherine Doran, CIO Royal Mail Andy Williams, CIO Save the Children Int. Digital Skills Strategy 19

20 This publication is available at Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to: The Tech Partnership, 1 Castle Lane, London SW1E 6DR Digital Skills Strategy 20